Can they cover?
Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State found just their second win of the 2024 season last weekend against UMass, and now they have a date with No. 7 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. The Volunteers, currently in the thick of the College Football Playoff battle, have no room for error.
Tennessee did what they’ve done for the past month on Saturday against Kentucky — start painfully slow, lean on defense, then figure it out when it counts. Dylan Sampson and Miles Kitselman each found the endzone in the third quarter to take the lead, which Tennessee wouldn’t give back. The 28-18 win over the now 3-6 Wildcats was hardly impressive, but the Vols did benefit from other contenders like Texas A&M and Iowa State falling.
Now enters Mississippi State and Josh Heupel’s former assistant Jeff Lebby. While the Bulldogs are just 2-7 on the year, they’ve played opponents tough over the last month. Mississippi State went on the road to Georgia and put up 31 points. They stuck right with Texas A&M a few weeks back in Starkville.
Frankly, those results along with Tennessee’s offensive struggles have me wondering why this spread is so large. Tennessee is favored by 24 points over Mississippi State this weekend, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tennessee is the better team and they should roll here, but Lebby’s knowledge of Heupel’s system and the Vols’ tendency to start slow make me question that line a bit.
Tennessee and Mississippi State are set for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff. ESPN will have the call.